Some Interesting Facts About North Carolina

FIRST IN FREEDOM: North Carolina was the first state to
declare independence from England with the Mecklenburg
Declaration of 1775.

FIRST IN FLIGHT: The first powered flight by the Wright
brothers happened at Kitty Hawk, NC

Population: Approximately 8.1 million according to the 2000
census (11th in the nation).Update: 2010 census Population 9,535,483 (#10 in country).

Largest City: Charlotte with 550,000 residents and over
1.4 million in the metro area.Update: 2010 census Population 731,424 (#17 in country); Metro area population was 1,758,038 (Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC Metro Area)

Smallest Town: Dellview has a population of 16 and
regularly vies for the honor of smallest incorporated town in the U.S.Update: 2010 Census: population of 13.

Area 53821 sq. mi, 28th of 50

Land 48718 sq. mi. 29th of 50

Fresh Water 5103 sq. mi 10th of 50

Coastline 301 mi., 7th of 50

Shoreline 3375 mi., 6th of 50

Esse Quam Videri - To Be, Rather Than To Seem - our state motto

Mount Mitchell, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, is the highest peak east of
the Mississippi. Height is 6,684 feet.

The first English settlement in the New World was in NC - The Lost Colony
that no one knows what happened to!

From Manteo in the east to Murphy in the west, North Carolina is 560 miles
long, making it the longest state east of the Mississippi.
(Measured east-west.)

The largest, privately owned house in America is Asheville's Biltmore House

NC boasts the most outdoor dramas of any state, we also had the first outdoor
drama - The Lost Colony that details the first English settlement

The Hatteras Lighthouse is the tallest brick lighthouse in the US

Pepsi Cola was invented in North Carolina 100 years ago in 1898

NC was the last state to secede from the Union during the Civil War

Belmont Abbey was the first abbey cathedral in the Western Hemisphere

The top industry in the state is Textiles, followed closely by Furniture

The first English colony in America was located on Roanoke Island. Walter
Raleigh founded it. The colony mysteriously vanished with no trace except for
the word "Croatoan" scrawled on a nearby tree.

Fontana Dam is the tallest dam in the Eastern United States, at 480 feet
high.

Raleigh-Cary, with a metropolitan area population of 1,130,490, is the 4th fastest growing metro area in the U.S. (2010 census) with 41.8% growth.

State:

Bird: Cardinal (1943)

Dog: Plott Hound (1989)

Fish: Channel Bass (1971)

Reptile: Eastern Box Turtle (1979)

Mammal: Gray Squirrel (1969)

Insect: Honeybee (1973)

Motto: Esse quam videri (1893) "to be rather than to seem"

Nickname: Tar Heel State

Song "The Old North State" (1927)

Capital: Raleigh (1792)

Flower: Dogwood (1941)

Tree: Pine (1963)

Vegetable: Sweet Potato (1995)

Beverage: Milk (1987)

Rock: Granite (1979)

Stone: Emerald (1973)

Shell: Scotch Bonnet (1965)

Historic Boat: Shad Boat (1987)

Some Dates In NC History

1492-1692. Diseases carried by the foreigners brought
about the demise of about 95 percent of the Cherokee Nation during the first
200 years of European presence.

1629. King Charles I. grants territory, located between
31° and 36° N latitude, to Sir Robert Heath, who names it "Carolina" after the
king.

1705. First school opened, in Pasquotank County. Bath
is first town incorporated.

1710. Colony of Swiss and German Protestants founded New
Bern.

1711-1713. Indians massacre settlers in Tuscarora War.

1713. Tuscarora Indians migrate into New York.

1712. Carolina divided into two provinces.

1729. Seven lords proprietors sell lands to George II.

1771. Farmers oppose British rule; are defeated in battle
of Alamance Creek.

1774. Provincial congress organized at New Bern to plan
resistance against royal rule.

1775. Citizens of Mecklenburg County may have issued first
declaration of independence.